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Fire and bones: Bronze Age III in the North-Eastern Iberian Peninsula
Maria Eulàlia Subirà1, Jordi Ruiz, Marina Guardiola-Bufì
1Autònoma de Barcelona, University, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Animal Biology, Vegetal Biology and Ecology, G.R.A.E.A.C. (Group of Research Applied to the Cultural Heritage), Bellaterra, Spain. eulalia.subira@uab.cat
Abstract:
Between the third millennium BP and the fifth century AD, there are numerous necropolises that house urns in the Iberian Peninsula. One example is the "Pi de la Lliura" (Vidreres, Girona). However, there is a dearth of research concerning these structures. The "Pi de la Lliura" housed 43 structures, which contained a total of 47 vessels with human remains. Of these 43 structures, 22 were totally or partially excavated at the laboratory. The evidence from the fragments indicates cremation at a temperature of 650-700 degrees C. Part of the cremated corpse was then deposited in an urn. One of the most unique characteristics of the necropolis is the high frequency of individuals younger than 20 years old. The mortality of sub-adults is high in any prehistoric necropolis, but it is even higher in a cremation necropolis. "Pi de la Lliura" is a very small necropolis, where corpses were treated similarly over a short period.
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